MIAMI (Ticker) -- Latrell Sprewell has to be careful who he
criticizes.

With Sprewell serving a suspension for breaking team rules, Kurt
Thomas scored 20 points to lead five players in double figures
as the New York Knicks recorded an easy 94-67 victory over the
Miami Heat.

The win follows a 15-point loss at Boston on Friday, during
which Sprewell scolded his teammates for not competing. But
prior to Sunday's game, Sprewell was suspended by the team and
could be docked a game's pay for missing a shootaround Sunday
morning and showing up 40 minutes late for the game.

"He's been suspended for one game," Knicks coach Don Chaney
said. "It is an internal matter and what happens from this point
on will be from inside the organization. I'm not saying
anything else about it."

A team co-captain, Sprewell stayed at an undisclosed location
Saturday night. When asked why he missed the shootaround, he
said he overslept.

"You're talking about a lot of money for basically a missed
practice," Sprewell said. "Well, not even a practice. I think
the team handbook is pretty clear on what fines and suspensions
are if you miss a practice."

If he is docked any pay, Sprewell said he will appeal through
the NBA Players Association, which stood by him during his
suspension and arbitration hearing for choking coach P.J.
Carlesimo in 1997.

"I just need to see what everything is first and make sure I'm
just not giving away money," Sprewell said. "A hundred ninety
(thousand dollars), that's ridiculous for a missed practice."
"What the guys did today was very important," Sprewell said of
his teammtes performance. "They went out and played hard. The
goal is to win as a team and we did an excellent job today."

Shandon Anderson started in place of Sprewell and scored 11
points in 28 minutes.

Heat coach Pat Riley was ejected with 8:19 left in the third
quarter after receiving two technical fouls for arguing a foul
call against center Alonzo Mourning. Mourning, who led Miami
with 15 points, also received a technical.

"I think (the game) speaks for itself," Riley said. "Anybody
have any questions? I don't have any answers. When the game had
a chance to be a game in the third quarter, our guys who start
simply didn't take control of the game. We turned the ball
over. It was a horrible, horrible exhibition."

Long-time playoff rivals, both teams have fallen on hard times
and are headed to the draft lottery. The Knicks, mired in their
first 50-loss season since 1986-87, snapped a four-game losing
streak. The Heat, who have handed Riley his first losing season
in 20 years as a coach, have dropped nine of 14.

"We had two teams playing for nothing but the Knicks were
playing for more than nothing," Riley said. "They showed that."

"I was very pleased with the way they competed out there,"
Chaney said. "I'm going to make sure they do understand me
because we're going to make a tape. It's going to be a
highlight tape of this game."

Trailing by two 75 seconds into the third quarter, the Heat gave
up 14 of the game's next 23 points, giving the Knicks a 61-54
lead. Former Heat Clarence Weatherspoon scored six of his 12
points during the spurt.

"Going into the game, we knew we were going to be without one of
our leading scorers," Thomas said. "So we knew we were going to
need a collective effort from all of the guys on the team to
pick up the scoring.

"We didn't feel (Sprewell's) suspension should have taken
place," Thomas added. "Everyone oversleeps from time to time,
everyone misses shootarounds. That's basically what happens.
And they decided to make an example and it really wasn't called
for."

New York pulled away in the fourth quarter, outscoring Miami,
21-8, over the final 12 minutes.